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Oklahoma Police Taser Bedridden 86-Year-Old Woman
Saturday, June 26, 2010

Lona Varner

Bedridden and on oxygen, Lona Varner of El Reno, Oklahoma, was zapped by police using Taser guns after she acted in an “aggressive” manner in her bed. Officers showed up at Varner’s residence after her grandson, Lonnie Tinsley, called 911 seeking medical assistance for his grandmother. But instead of helping the 86-year-old woman, police officers Thomas Duran and Joseph Sandberg Tasered her, causing her to pass out. “Don’t Taze my granny!” Tinsley says he shouted at the officers, who also are accused of stepping on Varner’s oxygen hose.

Varner was taken to a hospital with burn marks on her chest. She was then placed in a psychiatric ward in Oklahoma City for six days before being released. Tinsley and Varner are suing the police officers and the city of El Reno for $75,000 in damages.

According to the police, Varner was suicidal and threatened them with a kitchen knife that she pulled out from underneath her pillow.

- David Wallechinsky, Noel Brinkerhoff

Oklahoma Granny Gets Shocked by Taser; Sues El Reno Police (by Nolan Clay, Oklahoman)

'Don't Taze My Granny!' (by Tim Hull, Courthouse News Service)

Lona Varner and Lonnie Tinsley v. City of El Reno (U.S. District Court, Western Oklahoma) (pdf)

El Reno Police Department Reporting Officer’s Narrative

Comments

hurray - 4/6/2011 1:08:11 PM
$75,000 is cheap for a oxygen hose. have you heard of the rising cost of health care? if someone pulled a knife on me, under a questionable situation (elderly or otherwise), and with a yelling, uncooperative, unpredictable "teenager" in my face, i would do the same. the officers were called by these hillbillies not knowing what to expect.

Steve Smythe - 4/5/2011 9:11:22 PM
there is absolutely no excuse that would suffice for those officers. the woman was already in a a immobile state. this is the common mentality of most police officers; they can't or just don't want to have to think and make a judgement, they usually shoot and then formulate a cover story afterwards. the police chief of el reno should be fired for maintaining this mob of abusive morons. i saw on the news last week that a oklahoma city cop chased down a young 19 year old for a traffic violaton and then tasered him, loaded the young boy in the squad car, and the tasered boy died while putting him in the car. sheesh!!!, oklahoma cops have problems with anger and shouldn't be carrying tasers or guns. how do they get away with this abuse?? why can't we put these cops away for life. btw, all of these cops that have commited these taser attacks are still on the payroll and our tax dollars are paying their salary. its just crazy to allow this to continue!!

Rusty Shakelford - 7/2/2010 7:28:22 PM
Some day. something like this is going to cause the people to take back our government from the brownshirt thugs.

Buster - 7/2/2010 7:04:06 AM
Just $75,000 ???

Crovax - 6/30/2010 6:00:09 PM
Thats bullshit. Any not retarded person must be able easily avoid 86 years old grandma even she had knife. And thats not sure if it is true what they said, but why i have feeling, that it is not? A.C.A.B

Alan - 6/28/2010 7:33:36 AM
I can't believe this! At first I thought it was a spoof or something, but it turns out to be a true story. http://www.familysurvivalcenter.com/security.htm#police It makes me feel helpless and powerless. What if this had happened to one of your family members?

polly - 6/27/2010 6:54:51 PM
Let me be certain I understand this. According to news reports, several officers ganged up on a helpless BEDRIDDEN 86 year old woman who is ON OXYGEN. They manhandled her, cut off her oxygen, tazed her twice, and then held her several days against her will in a psych ward because she said she wants to die. Consider her condition and age and situation... taking her own life is HER CHOICE and her privilege and nobody else's business. Those officers are hired to "protect and serve", not torture children, elderly, and pets with a tazer gun, and that's exactly what has been happening all over the US since the police were handed tazers. How about throwing those so-called officers of the law in jail and prosecuting them for assault and battery, kidnapping, and anything else the DA can think of. They are not fit to be a part of any police force, and neither are tazer guns.

Steve Russ - 6/27/2010 12:23:50 AM
Don't call the law, and you won't have to worry about them for the time being. I have been, shot, cut, and stabbed, and have not called one yet. I do NOT call them !

trixlette - 6/26/2010 11:26:38 PM
Umm I would have waited it out, it wasn't like she was gonna get up and kick their butts. Police are trained in to disarm suspects, of knives, guns, or whatever. What wimps that they cannot disarm an 86 year old bed ridden woman, on oxygen. I am glad I don't have to depend on these morons to protect me and my family. If the thought or were told she was suicidal, they should have brought a mental health team with them. You telling me that this police force does not have ANY one trained for suicidal people or people with psychiatric problems? I live in Oklahoma city, and I go to El Reno frequently. They were probably all sitting around bored, with nothing to do but look for speeders on Route 66, and needed a little excitement. I hope each and every one of them gets fired, and El Reno has to pay big bucks! People that work in nursing homes are trained for these type of things...get real!

Steve Farley - 6/26/2010 7:54:29 PM
Wesker, in his defense of the police must have missed the part of the story that the granny was 86 years old. Do you see her picture? We aren't talking about Mr. T or Hulk Hogan here, this is a 100 lb, frail, oxygen dependent. 10 cops were in the room and not one of these big bad cops could have taken control of the situation without the use of potentially deadly force? Yes, deadly force, these tasers have killed dozens of people. If these 10 cops can't control an 86 year old granny without shocking her twice with 25000 volts, well, they have not business being a cop. They should all, every one of them turn in their badges, guns and tasers and resign. What they do if they had to control someone, oh, say someone their age and weight? Shoot them? I hope this lady gets every penny this town has, every penny these cops have and I hope that if these cops don't have the gumption to resign, they ALL should be lined up, fired and then tasered.

fredlave - 6/26/2010 6:19:48 PM
Assuming she did pull a kitchen knife out from under the bedclothes, if the cops retreated were they afraid she was going to chase them down the hall dragging her oxygen bottle behind her? These guys were trigger happy. It's not a good thing that cops now have "non-lethal" weapons that they came use more freely than guns. I wonder how many citizens die each year from "taser-happy" p[oloice and security guards?

Wesker - 6/26/2010 2:08:24 PM
She was having a full blown psychotic episode and threatened the officers with a knife...but "Cop taze defenseless granny" just suits your "cops are scum" agenda doesn't it. Ever dealt with a person undergoing a pychotic episode..they don't feel pain and are unusually strng because of it. Ever try to disarm someone who has a knife??? You WILL get cut. Soooo experts, what would you have done???

georgia - 6/26/2010 12:16:18 PM
my nephew was in a diabetic low blood sugar spell and the medics were on their way and the police tased him before they got there. He was burned and does not remember any of it. Sorry to say that this is the rule not the exception.

anthony - 6/26/2010 8:36:47 AM
cops like this are scum. so much for their oath to protect and defend the constitution from all threats foreign and domestic. i believe these cops qualify as the domestic threat.

SillyRabbit - 6/26/2010 8:08:41 AM
Oh wait, where are all of the comments.. which normally come on to say "She deserved it", "She should have just cooperated with law enforcement"??? Hmmm Odd.

NewYorkRob - 6/26/2010 7:21:54 AM
$75,000.00 is not enough. An apology must be issued and training be given to the retarded "swat" team. Then they should all be fired. How ignorant can police officers be? These guys sound like the crew at Andy from Mayberry's Sheriff Department.

hillcoguy - 6/26/2010 5:52:52 AM
Looks like the Barney Fife Brigade has struck again! As they shouted their battle cry: "WHERE'S MUH BULLET ANDY?"